Samson vechtend met de leeuw 1587 - 1640

This is a preparatory drawing for a painting by Peter Paul Rubens, one of the most celebrated artists of the Baroque period. Created between 1587 and 1640, "Samson vechtend met de leeuw" (Samson Fighting the Lion) depicts the biblical scene where Samson, a strongman from the Old Testament, defeats a lion with his bare hands. The drawing, now housed in the Rijksmuseum, is executed in black chalk on paper. It shows the dynamic composition of the scene, with Samson and the lion locked in a fierce struggle, as well as the artist's masterful use of line to convey movement and form. This drawing reveals Rubens’s meticulous planning process for his finished paintings.